Chapter 26

Yan Man smiled. She said nothing, but she thought, How could I not think about it when you treasure him so much?

Unfortunately, Ye Zexi had never taken her goodwill to heart. He simply saw it as something he deserved.

With that in mind, Yan Man silently crossed several dishes off her mental list.

Making them for Ye Zexi would be a waste!

She would save them for next time.

Yan Man was not about to spoil that brat!

If Ye Zexi dared to pull a long face when he came back that night, she would take the dishes away immediately.

But what Yan Man never expected was that when Ye Zexi returned that evening, not only did he not give her a hard time, he even brought her a gift.

Oh, and not just her. Even Ye Haoyan, whom Ye Zexi hated most, received a gift.

After waking from his afternoon nap, Ye Zexi discovered that the appearance fees for the top ten contestants of "Era Idol" had all been deposited into his account. He was thrilled.

Originally, he had planned to save the money carefully for himself. But then he remembered that he still had to return that rather unfamiliar home that night and meet unfamiliar relatives.

Thinking again about the complicated circumstances of the original owner's family, Ye Zexi felt that going back empty-handed did not seem appropriate.

He had never intended to befriend Ye Haoyan or Yan Man, but he did not want to be ill-mannered either.

After all, Ye Haoyan would inherit the company someday. His future dividends from the shares would all depend on Ye Haoyan!

Ye Zexi called Gao Shu and asked him to prepare some suitable gifts.

With a bracelet for Yan Man, a pair of limited-edition AJ sneakers treasured by the original owner for Ye Haoyan, and a box of fine tea for Ye Jianbin, Ye Zexi returned to the Ye Family Mansion.

As they accepted the exquisite gift boxes, everyone in the Ye Family Villa except Ye Zexi wore nearly identical expressions—utter disbelief.

In contrast, Ye Zexi remained exceptionally composed and even began looking around the villa.

This villa was much larger than the one he lived in. Ye Zexi admired it as he sighed inwardly.

The Ye Family truly deserved to be called wealthy. What a pity he was still more accustomed to living alone.

Yan Man looked at the exquisite box in her hands and could not resist opening it for a look.

Gold.

She pinched it. Soft!

It was real gold.

Yan Man grew even more puzzled.

What was going on with Ye Zexi?

Why had he brought her a gift?

Ye Haoyan was equally confused.

He had coveted that pair of AJ sneakers for ages! But that damned Ye Zexi had always deliberately shown them off to him on WeChat, only making him jealous and never doing anything else!

Yan Man kept Ye Haoyan on a tight leash, so he did not have much spending money. Once, after finally saving enough to buy the shoes, he had watched helplessly as Ye Zexi bought that limited edition pair right in front of him.

Ye Haoyan had been furious.

Later, he had shamelessly begged Ye Zexi for them, only to be mocked so badly that he could not even lift his head.

From then on, Ye Haoyan had sworn that he would never accept so much as a single thing from Ye Zexi.

But—

Staring at the rare pair of AJ sneakers in the box, Ye Haoyan could barely look away.

Limited edition. He did not have them.

Once he got this pair, his collection would be complete!

Gritting his teeth, the veins on Ye Haoyan's forehead bulged.

He wanted them!

He could not take it out on the shoes.

Ye Jianbin's expression was even more complicated. This was the first gift Ye Zexi had given him since his ex-wife left.

His eyes reddened slightly. Ye Jianbin suppressed the overwhelming emotions in his heart and said, "Now that you're home, let's eat first."

By the end of the meal, the other three all had different thoughts on their minds. Only Ye Zexi ate with complete satisfaction.

Before leaving, he still craved the dried fish on the table and could not help glancing at it a few more times.

Yan Man saw what Ye Zexi wanted and said, "If you like dried fish, should I pack some for you to take back?"

The moment she spoke, Yan Man regretted it.

What was she doing?

If she took the initiative to show goodwill to someone like Ye Zexi, he would definitely mock her...

"Sure." The young man's voice came over.

Where was the sharp-tongued, mean expression Yan Man had imagined on Ye Zexi's face?

Ye Zexi's face, so similar to Ye Jianbin's, carried a smile. He even politely said to Yan Man, "Sorry for the trouble, Auntie."

Yan Man: "..."

Something evil must have possessed him!

It was not until long after Ye Zexi had left carrying the dried fish that Ye Jianbin's voice sounded in the Ye Residence's living room. "It seems... letting him enter the entertainment industry was the right choice."

Yan Man said nothing.

Hugging the precious shoes to his chest, Ye Haoyan nodded in agreement. "My brother has become more generous!"

It was wholehearted praise, without the slightest hint of falsehood.

Ye Jianbin brewed himself a cup of the tea Ye Zexi had given him and took a satisfied sip.

Good. From now on, whenever there were good opportunities, he would give them to Ye Zexi.

His son had grown sensible. He even knew to give his father tea!

Poor Ye Zexi had no idea what would happen to his future.

As for that meal with the Ye Family, Ye Zexi was extremely satisfied.

Although Ye Jianbin was rather serious, Ye Zexi could still tell from his words and actions that he cared about him.

Yan Man and Ye Haoyan did not like Ye Zexi, but they did not show it openly and were still fairly warm toward him.

Of course, what satisfied Ye Zexi most was the food that night.

It was far better than the boxed meals he had eaten during the past month on "Era Idol"!

Especially the dried fish. The golden, crispy fried fish crackled fragrantly in his mouth, its savory crispness bursting across his palate. After eating one, Ye Zexi could not stop.

All the way home, the scent of the dried fish made Ye Zexi hungry.

It was not too late when he got home, so Ye Zexi planned to lie in bed, watch the "Era Idol" finale livestream, and eat dried fish at the same time.